My Era = Your Error

Encountered some old heads yesterday conversing about Hip Hop, so KNOW I had to intervene, as they name dropped emcees back in the days. THe older heads of course acknowledged Sugarhill Gang, & I expanded with Melle Mell & Whodini (to let em know I ain't that young.. lol). 

Young cat backed off the convo saying, I just love music. I think he was deflecting from having to defend this new school era. Understandable, cuz I hear a lot of criticism from older heads that ONLY followed music based on what the radio fed them. But I defended his era name dropping K-Dot, Joey Badass, Cole, Joyner Lucas, etc.

A cat I went to school with, he acknowledged the typical suspects from our teen/tween era,  top it off with BIG & 2Pac & other regional legends & rappers with radio play. I brought up Gang Starr, he was like, "who is that?" That's when he lost cool points & had to remind myself, "just because you're from my era doesn't mean you FROM my era." LMAO. 

Thank God I didn't bring up The Native Tongue, Boot Camp Clik, Hieroglyphics, Ras Kass, Juice Crew, BDP & other dope emcees in OUR era that didn't get radio play or his head might've exploded. lol. 

OTR, This is why I don't entertain BS about this or any others generation's music being garbage anymore, especially when a lot of us didn't embrace or appreciate our own when it was relevant.  We might share a time continuum of greatness, but many of y'all didn't embrace that greatness leaving me in solitude to soak it up in my headphones. 

Claiming we connect b/c of age is like old heads in their 60's & 70's talking about how THEIR generation marched for Civil Rights, when they individual did nothing. They problem put down the protesters & threw dirt on MLK's name for adultery or Malcolm for being Muslim. They probably called the law & snitched on protesters for petty stuff for all we know. But like I said earlier:  "just because you're from my era doesn't mean you FROM my era."

Not knocking anyone who's Hip Hop appreciation is limited to radio, b/c at one point even the biggest music collectors & fans were once just radio heads.  But to generalize a whole generation off the radio, but ignore others outside of it is killing the culture more than any media mainstream.  Stop accepting the narrative & BE the narrative.

#ImFromTheTrueSchool #MyMusicTasteIsAgeless